Recipes

Wine and Dine

Apricot Tart
Serves 4

To help you on the night, make the pastry in advance if possible, as well as presoaking the apricots.

• Pastry
• 170g/6oz plain flour
• 55g/2oz soya flour
• 15ml/1tbsp caster sugar
• 5ml/1tsp salt
• 110g/4oz vegetable fat (frozen then grated, or use shredded veggie suet)
• 45ml/3tbsp soya cream
• Filling
• 225g/8oz dried apricots, soaked overnight
• 225g/8oz soya cream
• 45ml/3tbsp brandy
• 45ml/3tbsp muscovado sugar

1. Make pastry by mixing flours, sugar and salt and rubbing in vegetable fat.
2. Add soya cream to bind. Mould into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Return to room temperature before rolling out and use to line a 20cm/8inch tart tin.
4. Preheat oven at 220ºC/425ºF/Gas Mark 7.
5. Place apricots and their soaking water in a saucepan over a gentle heat and cook until tender and all the water has evaporated (about 3 minutes).
6. Blend half the apricots to a puree, add soya cream and brandy and pour into the pastry shell.
7. Arrange the rest of the apricots over the puree.
8. Then bend the sides over onto the apricots and mark with knife to make scallop shell effect.
9. Sprinkle sugar over top and bake in preheated oven at for 15-20 minutes. Cool before slicing.